Construction of continuous rolling-mills



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P. H. DANIELS. CONSTRUCTION OF commnous ROLLING MILLS.

No 297.680] Patnted Apr. 29, 1884.

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No. 297,680. Patented Apr.'29., 1884';

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N, PEIERS. Phmo-Lllhcgnphlr. Washington. D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

FRED H. DANIELS, OFWORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONSTRUCTION OF CONTINUOUS ROLLING-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,680, dated April 29, 1884.

Application filed June 21, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED H. DANIELs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Continuous Rolling-Mills; and I declare the following to be a description of my said invention sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention relates to improve- I 5 ments in the construction and arrangement of the mechanism of continuous rollingmills, the objects being to render the mill more convenient and efficient, and reduce the expense and labor required for repairs and for the renewal of parts that become worn out in the operation of the mill; also, to provide a supporting-frame that will facilitate the taking out of the shafts when necessary, and to provide detachable supporting-columns that can be conveniently removed and replaced at pleasure; to provide an apparatus for feeding the billets from the heating-furnace to the mill; to so arrange the several sets of rolls that the best results can be attained in the rolling of the rods and maintenance of the mill, and to so combine the engine with the mechanism that the mill can be worked in an advantageous manner. These objects I attain by the mechanism constructed and ar- 3 5 ranged as indicated in the accompanying drawings and explained in the following description, the particular subject matter claimed being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of 0 such parts of a continuous rolling-mill as are necessary to illustrate the nature of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the mill on a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a side view of the journal-box or standard for the roll-. connecting gear-shafts on a larger scale and separate from other parts of the mechanism. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the bearingcap removed and sections of the shaft-journals lying in the boxes. Fig. 6 is a front view of the standard. Fig. 7 shows the standard as it is made for supporting the upper shaft-journal only. Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the head and foot of the removable column. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the head of said column. Fig. 10 is a side view of the pillow and box for the under shaftjournals. Fig. 11 shows the form of the bracket-frame as used intermediate between the columns. shows the ordinary form of frame commonly used in continuous rolling-mills.

'One feature of my invention consists in arranging the rolls in a continuous rolling-mill in the particular manner shown-viz., with the rolls throughout the first two-thirds of the mill, or the first ten pairs, placed alternately with horizontal and vertical axes, and the rolls throughout the remainder of the mill, or the last six pairs of rolls, all placed with horizontal axes; also, with the driving-engine located at the head of the mill, with shafts and gearing located and arranged as shown. The latter pairs of rolls in acontinuous mill are of necessity operated at high speed, and if these rolls are placed with vertical axes the wear on the end of shafts and boxes is very great, and permits the roll to settle down out of linewith the guides and preceding rolls, causing frequent derangement and necessityof repairs, and also making the proper oiling or lubrication of the bearings inconvenient and uncertain and the application of water for cooling the mechanism quite difficult, while with the former pairs of rolls the case is soinewhatdifferent. These are not open to the objection of high speeding; but as they work the rod when it is of large size and heavy, the twisting of the rods in the guides, if all rolls were horizontal, becomes a source of trouble, as thelarge and wide ovals are difficult to twist in the short spaces, and the rods wear out the guides very quickly, thus necessitating their frequent renewal, making the cost of maintenance considerable. To avoid these two objections I make the mill, as described, with the first ten pairs alternating horizontal and vertical, and the latter six pairs h orizontal. By this-arrangement I avoid twisting the rod in the guides while said rod is of large size and liable to-wear the guides rapidly, while I also avoid running the latter or highspeeded rolls upon their end bearings, and operate them in a horizontalposition where they can be conveniently watered and oiled, thus attaining the benefits of both the alternating and Fig. 12

to the fitting of the gears.

regular systems of arranging rolls and producing amill superior to either, as heretofore employed. The latter six pairs of rolls can also be arranged for ready lateral adjustment to change the grooves with facility, if desired.

In referring to the drawings, A denotes the working-rolls, which are mounted in pairs in suitable housings, a, and arranged for acting upon the rod in their respective order from 1 to 16 by continuous operation. The first ten pairs of rolls are arranged with their axes alternately in horizontal and vertical position, those with horizontal axes being operated by suitablegearing from thelongitudinal drivingshaft B at the back of the machine, and those having vertical axes being operated from the shaft 0, located in the pit beneath the machine. The former practice has been to arrange the spur-gears connecting the rolls in pairs directly upon the roll-axles inside or outside the housings a, or to provide extra housings for the reception of special gears. If put upon the roll-axle, each roll must be planed and slotted for keying the gear, and as the rolls last but a short time and are then put into the scrapiron, the labor of fitting and slotting the axles for the gears is a source of considerable expense. If the spurgears are put in special housings, the cost of the housings and the inconvenience of removing the parts, when necessary, cause much labor and expense and are features of objection, to obviate which I an range the gears D, for connecting the upper and lower rolls in pairs,upon steel shafts D D', which are supported in the peculiarly-shaped bearingstandards E, both the upper and lower shafts being connected to their respective rolls by the coupling-bars and sleeves, and the parts being readily removable, while the gears are permanently mounted, and the rolls can be exchanged as often as required without regard The construction also permits the rolls A being made with axles of uniform construction at both ends, so that the rolls can be reversed or used either end toward the connection. It also obviates the necessity ofslotting the rollaxles, as is required when the connecting-gears are placed imme diately upon the roll-axles.

The standards E are made, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, with two inclined boxes, 0 e, asingle bearing-cap, E, being used for covering both boxes, as illustrated. The inclination of the boxes is such that the shafts D D, while they are both uncovered at the same time by the removal of the cap E, will not fall from the bearings until lifted out, while their removal is rendered very easy and convenient. \Vhere the lower shaft, D, is larger than the upper one, D, to avoid using three bearings on said lower shaft, I employ the modified form of the standard shown in Fig. 7 for the central position. In this form of standard there is no lower journal-box; but the metal is cut away, so that the standard extends around the shaft D without touching it.

The latter six pairs of rolls are driven by gearing arranged and mounted as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. The alternate lower shafts, D", are geared to the longitudinal main shaft B by beveled gears, and said lower shafts are provided with spur-gears F, that mesh with other spur gears, F, on their alternating upper gear-shafts, D. Thus the lowereleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenthsets drive the uppertwelfth, fourteenth, and sixteenthsets, respectively.

The engine for operating the mill islocated at the head of the mill and connected to the shaft B. This shaft is connected by suitable gears, b c, to the lower shaft, 0, which gears are also located at the head of the mill. By this improvei'nent the heaviest-loaded and slowest-running rolls are brought nearest to the motor, and the strain of work and strength of mechanism more uniformly distributed and proportioned to each other throughout the mill.

An important feature of my invention is the construction of the transverse under frame in the manner illustrated, the front of the frames being made as brackets that overhang the lower shaft, 0, and support thelongitudinal bed G of the roll-housings without confining or surrounding said shaft 0. The relative form of my improved frame and the ordinary style of frame are shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

Another improvement in this construction is the introduction of removable columns for sustaining the ends of the bracketed frame, which columns may be detachably connected at their bases and caps to the standing frame by interlocking grooves, and by bolts fitted to side recesses, or in such other manner that the columns can be conveniently removed and replaced, when desired, for permitting removal of the lower longitudinal shaft.

. The transverse frame H is made with a central standard, H, having a forward projecting foot, H, at its base. Its upper part at H' arches forward and overhangs the lower shaft, 0, for sustaining the bed G, while the rear portion extends backward beneath the bedplates of the roll-driving mechanism, as at H. The footand rearward portions, H H,rest upon longitudinal girders K, and are firmly bolted to the foundation. The girders K are preferably made in compound form of a channeliron cap-plate on a wood beam, as indicated. The removable legs or columns I are fitted to stand between the foot H and top If of the bracket-formed frame H. The bearing-plates at the head and foot of the column are provided with interlocking grooves and flanges i, and at the sides are slots or recesses, in which are arranged holding-boltsj, as indicated. By loosening the nuts the bolts can be taken from the sides of the recesses, and the flanges can then be slipped out from the grooves by moving the column directly forward. Other means of fastening can, if desired, be used in lieu of the flanges t and boltsj.

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By making the framesupports I movable I It will also be understood that I do not make they can be readily removed and hoisted by an overhead crane from the pit to the floor above, first taking up the floor-plates Z. The gears and shafts L and G are then exposed, so that easy access is had to the whole under mechanism, and said shafts and gears can, by

an overhead crane or hoisting apparatus, be taken out upon the upper floor, and any necessary repairs effected in a quick, convenient, and economic manner, and then be as readily replaced. i Y

The pillow-blocks m and bolsters M for the lower shaft, 0, are made'substantially as in Fig. 10 and supported on the girders K.

Another feature of my invention is a feeding apparatus provided with a suitable conductor or guide for transferring the hot billets from the mouth of the heating-furnace to the first pair of rolls.

At the forward end of the mill, between the heating-furnace N and the first reducing-rolls A, I arrange auxiliary billet-delivering apparatusa set of guiding and feeding rolls, n, which may be mounted on a suitable frame and operated independently of the reducingrolls of the mill by means of a driving-belt, 0, from above or in other convenient manner. From these rolls a conductor or guide, P, extends to the first pair of reducing rolls A, for directing the endof the billet into the groove of the rolls. Said guide-trough P is hinged and balance-weighted to swing up or out of positionto allow the furnace-man to pass from one side of the machine to the other when desired, the feed-rolls being placed close to the furnace-door. Theorolls n preferably consist of two pairs set. in opposite directions and properly geared together,and said rolls act to draw the billets from the furnace and overcome any tendency toward side deviation by I reason of the billet not being pulled in a direct line. The furnace-man simply enters the end of the billet to the feed-rolls, and said rolls pass it to the reducing-rolls A. This construction gives ample room for the furnaceman between the head of the mill and the furnace, and the swinging guide permits him to work at either the right or left, as most convenient.

The guides between the reducing-rolls A are not shown in the drawings, as said guides may loe constructed in the ordinary or any suitable manner, and therefore need not be herein described in detail.

I do not desire to be understood as herein claiming the feature of alternating the axes of the rolls in continuous rolling-mills, whether set vertical and horizontal or oppositely diagonal, as my claims have reference to the particular arrangement of an entire series of rolls in the manner shown.

claim to the practice of drawing out heated billets from the furnace by the action of the mill-rolls, such being a well-known method of 2. The transverse under frame, H, having the foot portion, central upright, andextended top, integrally constructed and disposed in the peculiar manner shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the transverse frame H in a continuous rolling-mill, of a re movable support or column, I, arranged between the upper and lower forward-proj ecting parts of said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. p

4. In a continuous rolling-mill, the combination of the transverse frame H, having overhanging end H, and the removable support or column I, said parts being respectively provided with interlocking flanges and grooves i, and corresponding side slots, with the holdingbolts j arranged therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 5. The combination, witha continuous rolling-mill, of an auxiliary feed mechanism located between the furnace and first pair of reducing-rolls, as described, for receiving and drawing thehotbilletsfromtheheating-furnace and delivering them squarely to the grooves of the reducing-rolls of the mill, substantially as set forth. i

6. The combination, with a continuous rolling-mill and a heating-furnace, of an auxiliary set of feeding-rolls, n n, operated independently of the mill-rolls, and adapted for receiving and withdrawing the heated billets from the furnace, and guiding devices for conducting them into the mill.

ing-mill and the auxiliary feeding apparatus, of the hinged guide 1?, adapted to be swung out of position, to permit passage of the attendant from one side of the machine to the other, as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 19th day of June, A. D. 1883.

FRED H. DANIELS.

Witnesses:

' CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, S. R. BARTON.

7. The combination, with a continuous roll- 

